In October 1999, Shadowkeep recorded their debut six-track EP[2] at Thin Ice Studios in Surrey, England, with Belgian vocalist Rogue Marechal (ex-Halcyon) fronting the band.

A record deal with Limb Music followed in June 2000, and the band went on to release two albums on this label: Corruption Within[4] (in September 2000) and A Chaos Theory[5] (in 2002).

Jim Daley (who had previously played on Patricia Morrison's solo album Reflect on This)[21] was the band's initial bass guitarist, but he was succeeded by Steve Scott[22] (ex-Dragonheart and a founding member of Power Quest), then by Steve 'SK' Kightley (ex-Spirit Of Rush) and Fredrik Englund, before the arrival of Texas-based Stony Grantham[23] (ex-Terra Vast)[24] in time for the Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles Festival in Cleveland in 2004.

He was succeeded by Tim Churchman (who had previously played alongside Steve Kightley in Spirit of Rush and The Forge, as well as with Dec Burke in Darwin's Radio, and with John Jowitt in Ark).

[42] Together with ex-Shadowkeep bassist Steve Kightley and guitarist Chris Van Hayden (ex-Biomechanical), he then went on to form a new band called Chaosgenesis,[43] adopting the name from a song on Shadowkeep's second album.

Towards the end of 2002, former Sire[45] and Angel Witch bandmember Richie Wicks took up the vocalist's position,[46] but within a few months he had left to concentrate fully on vocal duties with the Tygers of Pan Tang.

[62] The album is a conceptual piece, based around a time in the not-too-distant future when the sun is prematurely dying, and positing the subsequent effects that this phenomenon might have on the Earth's population.

[66] His replacement was Matt Oakman (formerly of Structured Chaos and Born of War),[67] who made his live debut with Shadowkeep at The Pipeline venue in London on 6 February 2010.

Journalist Mark Fielden deputised for Stony Grantham on bass guitar during live shows on Shadowkeep's 'With Force We Come' UK tour in 2010.

[72] On 28 August 2010, the band appeared at the Bridgefest 2010 rock festival in Canning Town, which was headlined by Pagan Altar and Tygers of Pan Tang.

In March 2012, former Shadowkeep members Richie Wicks and Mark Fielden joined forces with Keith Herzberg (ex-Angel Witch), Gary MacKenzie (ex-Praying Mantis), Andy Blackwell and Jason Rice to form a classic metal tribute band called Black, White & Purple.

On 16 July 2012, vocalist Matt Oakman officially departed Shadowkeep; he went on to join the bands Dangerous Breed, Gridlock and Stormborn (with whom he was a bandmember until 30 August 2019).

Bass guitarist Steve 'SK' Kightley temporarily rejoined Shadowkeep in the studio during 2016, with Stony Grantham continuing to be involved in writing and recording with the band.

[82] A short promotional tour of Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands was arranged for March 2018, with concerts taking place in Osthessen (at the seventh Full Metal Festival,[83] which was co-headlined by Accuser), and in Genk, Lens, Oldenburg, Lünen and Nijverdal.

As Shadowkeep's scheduled appearance on 27 October at the 2018 Pure Steel Metalfest in Lakewood, Ohio similarly could not take place, James Rivera's Metal Asylum headlined the event on that date instead.

[88] Since late 2021, former Shadowkeep vocalist Matt Oakman has been working with guitarist Robin Brancher (founder member of NWOBHM band Desolation Angels), as part of a project entitled DA.